It’s fair to say that Netflix owns the fall festival season. Produced by Noah Baumbach Streamer white noise On Wednesday, August 31st, the Venice Film Festival and the true refugee story of Sally El Hossein opened. swimmersAnother Netflix movie will open the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 8.
With four films in competition in Venice – next door white noiseThe company has the animated Marilyn Monroe movie by Andrew Dominick Blonde With Anna de Armas, the French drama by Romain Gavra Athena and the Mexican epic by Alejandro González Iñárritu Bard Looking ahead: Netflix has a good chance of winning a second Golden Lion since then Pomegranate in 2018. All four movies are also TIFF titles. swimmers, All is quiet on the western front, the king’s knight and Tyler Perry jazzman bluesThey also look like strong candidates for awards season.
Germany has already chosen Eduard Berger All is quiet on the western frontAn adaptation of the iconic anti-war novel, which will be his Oscar entry in the category of Best International Feature Film 2023.
Just don’t expect any of these movies to hit a theater near you anytime soon. Netflix is releasing small-platform releases for some of its favorite festivals, similar to the two-week exclusive theatrical screenings Venice headlined last year. the power of the dog, lost daughter s God’s hand – and some international titles will have smaller local releases. Netflix and German distributor 24 Bilder will partner for a limited German arc All is quiet on the western front, for example. But the streaming giant has no plans to expand its cinematic experience.
“No. No changes. Streaming is always a priority,” said a source at Netflix.
Many have criticized this internet-centric strategy, arguing that Netflix is leaving money on the table. is evaluated PomegranateThis followed his victory in Venice with an awards season, winning BAFTA, Golden Globe, DGA and Independent Spirit Awards and on his way to three Oscars, including Best Director for Alfonso Cuarón. Office Netflix did the proper theatrical release of the film.
“Pomegranate There was a big omission that would have done real business,” says Eric March, general manager for France at box office analytics firm Comscore.
After posting disappointing results with two consecutive quarters of subscriber losses, Netflix appears to be paying more attention to the bottom line. The company plans to add a low-cost, ad-supported tier to its SVOD service as a way to generate revenue and reduce subscriber churn, and has cut hundreds of jobs as part of cost-cutting measures.
But, at least for now, Netflix’s business strategy doesn’t include a bigger box office move. Netflix’s theatrical movie releases remain primarily marketing and promotional exercises for the title’s online archers.
Of course, dedicated filmmakers, as well as the independent theater owners around the world who serve them, will be happy to see Netflix’s Fall Festival roster benefit from extended theatrical screenings before it hits the small screen.
As unlikely as this is, the company could see a similar reaction to what happened in Italy last year when Paolo Sorrentino’s successful Venice Film Festival was released. God’s hand. Italian art exhibitions protested the local theatrical arch – God’s hand Released on 250 screens in Italy through distributor Lucky Red three weeks before its release, too small and too short to benefit cinemas. While the release was the longest for a Netflix film in Italy and a huge bow to streamer standards:PomegranateThe limited Italian edition was limited to just 50 copies; critics noted that Sorrentino’s previous film, ParrotReleased by Universal on approximately 900 Italian screens as two consecutive features.
Were the theater owners right about how much? a man’s hand Could it have been allowed to stay in theaters longer? Lucky Red, while not disclosing box office figures, says he is “satisfied” with the film’s performance, the ‘Netflix is killing cinema’ argument has gained traction in Italy. Part of this is due to the very real drop in the Italian box office, which has yet to recover to pre-Covid levels. Italy’s Ministry of Culture has called for a mandatory 90-day cinema window for all film releases under new regulations inspired by similar rules in France. French regulations, including an exclusive four-month film window and a tough schedule for exclusive pay-TV, streaming and free releases, are the main reason Netflix boycotted the Cannes Film Festival. (Andrew Dominic originally wanted to release Blonde on the Croisette). In the latest battle between cinema and streaming, Disney announced in June that it would skip the theatrical release of its animated film. strange world In France, it chose to place the vacation launch exclusively on Disney+ in that territory.
But while movie theater owners love the exclusivity of the long window, there’s little evidence that there’s more confusion over seating. In European markets with the laxest regulations around window displays, including the UK and Spain, box office sales recovered faster after theaters reopened.
“Whether or not a movie is successful at the box office is not just about the service,” says Gabrielle D’Andrea, Lucky Red’s head of theatrical distribution. Pomegranate, God’s hand s the power of the dog theatrically [in Italy]So all these movies had the opportunity to connect with audiences in theaters. This summer, as we didn’t have any new films, we held the Hayao Miyazaki Film Festival. Four films, all available on Netflix, grossed more [$1 million] each.”
Rather than blaming Netflix, D’Andrea says theaters and art distributors should take a page out of their promotional playbook and learn how to turn special releases into events. In front of David Cronenberg’s new film The Italian Bow crimes of the futureLaunching on 250 screens across the country, Lucky Red hosted a series of teaser events, including the presentation of a week-long retrospective of the Canadian director’s work at three iconic cinemas in Rome, Milan and Turin.
“It is part of our strategy to do this [new] Filming a premium event for a certain type of audience, Cronenberg as genuine [arthouse] brand,” says D’Andrea.
“You have to make movies that make people come back. [to cinemas]says Kiska Higgs, head of production and acquisitions at Focus Features, who hopes to delight Venice and the art scene with Todd Field’s classic musical drama. TARWith Cate Blanchett and Mark Strong. “Playing it safe is a death zone. Either they may come back or they may not, but they definitely won’t come back if you don’t give them movies.”
Alex Rittman contributed to this report.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
